We each have our own understandings and assumptions about how we’re most likely to achieve our campaign objective. These theories of change guide what we do and what we don’t do. How we spend our time and what we’re most strongly motivated to do.
Often, our assumptions about mechanisms of change are unstated, even between people who work on the same campaign. Members of a team or an alliance can be relying on different mechanisms. By drawing out and reflecting on our assumptions about mechanisms of change, teams can develop a clearer collective sense of how we believe change is most likely to happen, and to direct resources strategically. Others learn about our assumptions and we learn about theirs. This can energise and inform strategy discussions and help us make better decisions.
Email James for an Excel file that automatically generates ‘mechanisms of change’ radar charts.